What makes a toolbox expensive/better?

[Burt Shaver]

I have been following another thread on here “ how much is this toolbox worth” and it got me to wondering what I was missing out on with the expensive toolboxes? You don’t know what you’re missing if you’ve never had it.
I’ve had the same cheap toolboxes from Canadian tire for about 30 years and it has served me well but again what do the expensive ones do better?

 

[mikegt4]

Off the top of my head I would say the thickness of the sheet metal and the quality of the hardware.

 

[mikedodge]

It depends on the box. Some more expensive boxes might hold up to daily use in commercial shops better but I know a lot of people who've hsd a Canadian Tire type box their entire career.

 

[finn]

Slides, metal thickness, drawer size and layout and overall box stiffness. Caster quality and size fits in there too.

Like a lot of things, your use pattern fits into which box will do the job. If it sits in your garage, lightly loaded, and is rarely moved, a more budget level box may suffice. If it’s bouncing across a factory floor with 200 lbs in every drawer, and they’re open and shut fifty times a day, belly up for a premium box.

If you want a showpiece box to impress your friends and it’s full of polished high end tools, get the premium box.

i would think a mid range box would meet the needs of most hobbiests. A professional would best stay away from entry level boxes, as the slides and wheels won’t last, plus he likely has higher drawer load and size requirements.

The kids got me an entry level Craftsman box with friction slides 35 years ago. It’s in the basement and works there fine. I wouldn’t want it in the shop, though

 

[NUTTSGT]

I went from Cman boxes that the everyday average person had, nothing special and got some good use out of them for 20 years in my home shop. I needed more space and bought US General boxes.

My bottom Cman 40" box with ball bearing slides was about $700 new. I picked it out for Mom to give to my step-dad for work at GE. He never used it and I got it. The 56" USG was priced about the same almost 25 years later . The 27" USG was close to the price I paid for a 26" Cman top box years ago.

Both USG boxes are built better, with heavier gauge steel and have no doubt they will last just as long as or as long as I need them for than the previous Cman boxes.

Some like mentioned above, steel thickness, welds in assembly, slides and paint work are probably the biggest concerns oin the box construction itself. What you also get with the more $$ truck boxes is the support of the dealer for replacement parts and such. The latter may not be worth the extra cost to the home gamer but for the guys living out of a box 40 hours a week, it can and may be huge. The life expectancy out of the USG Series 3 is still out and we'll see what happens in 10-15 years.

 

[gatewaysysop]

Off the top of my head I would say the thickness of the sheet metal and the quality of the hardware.

Basically this. When I got my box from Strictly, that's what impressed me the most. There was no comparison on build quality vs what the Big Box stores were carrying at that time, and certainly at that price point. I don't care what name is on it, I care how well it's built.

Second to that, I would say, is the drawer layout. I like having a couple of full width, shallow drawers for wrenches, instead of just one. Depending on how you plan to use it, the ability to customize the layout or at least options for non-standard layouts might be worth a premium.

 

[pcmeiners]

Good cabinet drawers can handle more than 200lbs per drawer, Vidmar/Lista cabinets can do 400 lbs per draw in their top tier models
When I had Craftsmen cabinets I always had to be careful as to content weight along with careful drawer opening/closing or they do not last.
Quality cabinet will last generations, cheap cabinets your lucky getting 20 years out of them with careful handling.
Very important consideration is the net weight, really good boxes always have considerably more weight than cheap units

Test of a good box..you can you walk up open draws of Vidmar or Lista cabinets to change fluorescent bulbs, not possible with cheap cabinets .

 

[PWC Repair]

....... but again what do the expensive ones do better?

.......lighten your wallet!!!

 

[rsanter]

Sheet metal thickness
size
bb drawer slides verses friction slides
Number of drawers
drawer configuration

and then there is style. As time goes the style changes a bit and some people want the newer style and other don’t care

 

[dudley123]

The feel (drawer slides, locks, metal thickness, trim, etc) of a any highend Snap-on/Matco/Cornwell box is night/day over any craftsman/husky/big box special. I have both and they both get the job done but it's obvious the quality difference. Whether it's worth the cost difference is up to you, I think.

Apple Watch or a Casio tells the time just as well as an Omega or Rolex.

 

[CraigStu]

Even as a paid dealer tech I always made do w/ Cman boxes. But I remember we moved some techs around in the shop once and I got a different guy w/ a SnapOn box in the next bay. Came along to snack time, he pulls out the bottom maybe 12" tall drawer, he pulls out the sliding tray on the top of the drawer, and sits down to eat his snack. I was amazed so I asked if he wasn't worried about bending something. He says he's been doing that for 3 years.

 

[kngelv]

SLIDES, SLIDES, SLIDES! Sheet metal thickness and casters obviously play a part but I think slides are the key differentiator. HF USG boxes have the same thickness as Snap-On Classics but the HF slides **** wind, even though they have the same 120lb rating as the Snap-On. I made the mistake of getting a HF 56" top and bottom and the slides have only gotten worse. I have Snap-On and Kennedy at work and a Tekton/Rousseau at home. The HF just sort of sits there now with overflow tools. Crappy slides are irritating every time I open a drawer with one.

James

 

[The Bean]

Do you remember Jordache jeans?
It's in the name. $$

 

[SouthernIllinois]

Flex and flimsiness or the lack thereof

 

[Rc_Guy]

.......lighten your wallet!!!

I would think you somewhat get what you pay for.

We used a craftsman rolling tool chest in our food trailer for the cash drawer and chips and utensils in the other drawers, we open the top cash drawer for every customer but not necessarily the other drawers, the slides in the top drawer wore out.

I gave that roll chest to our son and he still uses the other drawers easily but the top drawer is tough to slide open.

 

[Ultradog MN]

I have been following another thread on here “ how much is this toolbox worth” and it got me to wondering what I was missing out on with the expensive toolboxes? You don’t know what you’re missing if you’ve never had it.
I’ve had the same cheap toolboxes from Canadian tire for about 30 years and it has served me well but again what do the expensive ones do better?

What better boxes do well is the old One + Two + Two thing.
One drawer.
Two hundred lbs of bolts and nuts.
Two fingers to open or close it.

 

[Davefr]

I think there was a video/image of a SO rep opening drawers on a KRL and climbing them up to the top like a ladder. If he tried this on a store box he'd probably be in the hospital.

 

[Spikes]

I have a couple of cheap toolboxes by Craftsman and Cornwell Tools that feel awful when opening the drawers or moving them around. Flexible, noisy, gritty slides and horrible wheels. They are just cringy to use and only used for specialty tool storage.
Funnily enough, I have a US General cart that feels better than either of those by a country mile now that I fixed the slides and locks and added some magnets to the back of the drawers.

I also have a 52" Husky cabinet that's their mid-level offering and I'm highly impressed with the build, paint, casters and little features like the self close drawers and nice liners that other lower-priced toolboxes skip. When I was doing mechanic work, I had a Matco 4S cabinet that I really liked, the Husky has thinner steel, of course, but is built really well and feels every bit as solid.

 

[Burt Shaver]

What better boxes do well is the old One + Two + Two thing.
One drawer.
Two hundred lbs of bolts and nuts.
Two fingers to open or close it.

After reading the responses in this thread, I understand where the benefits to the 3000.00 and up boxes is. I have only ever used my boxes for tools, maybe 100 pounds at most per drawer, probably more like 20 to 40 pounds per drawer usually. I’ve never really payed attention to how many fingers I use to open and close the drawers either, I normally just without thinking open and close them as required to get whatever tool out I need. I will be going out to my shop today, I’m interested now to see if I can open up this cheap box that I’ve had from Canadian Tire for 30 years with 2 fingers, I’m sure I will be able to because I’ve never thought they were hard to open but again I probably only have 50 pounds or so in each drawer.
I can definitely see now where the benefit is for the guys carrying 200 plus pounds per drawer, and are rolling it around their commercial garage floor all day, everyday.

 

[Burt Shaver]

I think there was a video/image of a SO rep opening drawers on a KRL and climbing them up to the top like a ladder. If he tried this on a store box he'd probably be in the hospital.

It had never crossed my mind that tool boxes were made to use as steps, I definitely would not try it with my 30 year old Canadian Tire special box, I’m sure it wouldn’t hold up

 

[Rc_Guy]

I think there was a video/image of a SO rep opening drawers on a KRL and climbing them up to the top like a ladder. If he tried this on a store box he'd probably be in the hospital.

Same with These tool boxes, saw them on Larson Farms YouTube and the guy stands in the drawer of the toolbox

 

[Mike65]

I saw a Craftsman box in Lowes & the metal thickness is like a soda can compared the Craftsman box I had bought in the early 80's. I sold it (like an idiot) before we moved because I got a free Snap-On box.

 

[Mudhog03]

#1 slides.

 

[pcmeiners]

but again what do the expensive ones do better?

Well if the buyer wants to treat a tool box like glassware, ***** footing so it lasts, then stay with Craftsmen, Husky or another wannabe cabinet.
Again with a quality cabinet you need not be concerned what or how much can be placed in the drawers.
Try placing hundreds of sockets or wrenches in one drawer of a cheap box.
Repairs on a decent quality cabinet are extremely rare, maintenance is generally done once in a lifetime.
If you enjoy aggravation stay with a Craftsman tier quality box.

 

[Burt Shaver]

Well if the buyer wants to treat a tool box like glassware, ***** footing so it lasts, then stay with Craftsmen, Husky or another wannabe cabinet.
Again with a quality cabinet you need not be concerned what or how much can be placed in the drawers.
Try placing hundreds of sockets or wrenches in one drawer of a cheap box.
Repairs on a decent quality cabinet are extremely rare, maintenance is generally done once in a lifetime.
If you enjoy aggravation stay with a Craftsman tier quality box.

I’ve never had to ***** foot around with the tool box, I’ve always put whatever tools I’ve wanted to in the tool chest but I get it now, the more expensive ones are thicker metal and better hardware which is perfect for the guy that wants to put 200 pounds in a drawer. Could also be, that because I bought my cheap one 30 years ago that it maybe was made a little better than the cheap ones that are made today? I had a look and the one I have is Waterloo

 

[jkeyser14]

It had never crossed my mind that tool boxes were made to use as steps, I definitely would not try it with my 30 year old Canadian Tire special box, I’m sure it wouldn’t hold up

I've definitely stood on the drawers of my vidmars like a ladder to get to my nut and bolt bins. The nut and bolt bins have hundreds of pounds of hardware in them, sitting on top of the toolbox.

And the drawer slides use ball bearings. Not balls on a thin sheet metal track, but actual housed ball bearings with hardened inner and outer races.

 

[macgyver37]

Dad bought a Snap On KR1000 bottom box in the late 80's and used it full time as a mechanic up to his retirement app 8 years ago and it's still in his garage. He didn't abuse it but he didn't baby it either. It's pushing 40 years old and it has a few slides that honestly need replaced now, but it still is overall in great condition. Every cubic inch is filled and it is heavy enough that I retrofitted a pedestal style lock for it 20+ years ago as the factory caster locks wouldn't hold it reliably and he didn't want it rolling into a car.

I don't think everyone can justify spending that much on a tool box, but I appreciate that Dad's has stood up to the usage and even now I can get on the dealers truck and get some new slides for it if I want to.

I do recall that when he bought it, it cost as much as the car Mom was driving everyday and my brother and I played in the cardboard box for months before the rain degraded it enough to start to fall apart.

Having spent my career in the machine shop/manufacturing world any new storage I buy will be Lista/Vidmar as I think the value is a little better for the price in the used market around here and the layout suits my needs a bit better in my shop and I don't need anymore on wheels..

 

[yellowbox]

I can open any drawer , stand in it , sit on it. It won't hurt it
Can't say that about Craftsman or other cheaper boxes
I can slam the drawers all day every day for years and the box will hold up
Overpriced ? Sure but they hold up well

 

[logical]

I can open any drawer , stand in it , sit on it. It won't hurt it
Can't say that about Craftsman or other cheaper boxes
I can slam the drawers all day every day for years and the box will hold up
Overpriced ? Sure but they hold up well

I bought a Tool Vault box and a step ladder.

 

[maxpower_hd]

I don't know about the new ones. But I have an 80's era Snap On at home dubbed the "Coke Machine" that I can open every drawer and it will not tip. I can also open the bottom drawer, which is full of tools, and stand on it to see in the very top. At work I have an older Mac Macsimizer that I can roll around full of tools and it will not tip over. I do lock the drawers when moving though since they open so easily. But I have seen several people dump over their cheaper boxes when rolling them around the shop.

 

[Ultradog MN]

I bought a Tool Vault box and a step ladder.

I like Vidmars. Don't doubt a guy could use the drawers as a step ladder. But I wouldn't do that. The drawers slide easily and it would be my luck to have one slide closed on my foot and I would fall down and bust my ***.
I think it's called discretion is the better part of bragging up your tool cabinets.

 

[pi_guy]

Just one thing bought a HF tool cart when they first came out. I cut my hand several times in the assembly of said box. They save money by not deburring the thing. I have had Snap On since the mid 70's and none has drawn blood.
My kid is eyeing my toolboxes so in thirty years I expect the SO to still be functioning the others not so much.

 

[pcmeiners]

I bought my cheap one 30 years ago that it maybe was made a little better than the cheap ones that are made today? I had a look and the one I have is Waterloo

A wee bit better 50 years ago, perhaps the steel was a tiny fraction thicker. With the amount of steel in a Vidmar or equal you could probably make (3) Craftsman boxes out of an equivalent sized Vidmar.

 

[dave*99]

I have some 1980's C'man boxes. If I put lots of heavy tools in a drawer, the sheet metal bottom sags and rubs on the drawer beneath it.
I have not had that problem with my Snap-On box. And it's a 42" unit compared to the much smaller C'man.

 

[CoogarXR]

I have a mish-mash of different boxes, all of varying quality. I can't wait until I get my new shop built so I'll have room to maybe get a bigger, higher-quality box for the heavier tools.

The craftsman boxes I have are probably the best I have, if that tells you anything, and they go down from there, lol.

My biggest gripe is that none of my boxes can handle much weight. The large drawers with my big pneumatic impacts in them, I have to push closed with both hands like I am pushing a van up a hill. My socket drawers have to be balanced with the heavy sockets on the outer edges (some on this side, some on that side) or the slides will bind.

The light drawers are fine though. I have drawers with wall-to-wall screwdrivers, nut drivers, electronic test equipment, etc and they are perfect for that kind of duty.

You can feel the difference in box quality when you really load them down. If a guy doesn't have a literal ton of tools, a lighter-duty box would probably be fine.

 

[Etchase]

The distribution channel costs very wildly depending on how you buy it.

 

[metalmagpie]

I suspect the original post was a troll. Who can't tell cheap from quality?

 

[whateg01]

I suspect the original post was a troll. Who can't tell cheap from quality?

I dunno. Seems like a legit question if you toss out the $35 complete stack at Walmart. A $700 box at Lowe's does the job quite nicely for many and if they started out with the $35 Walmart box, it's quite a step up. The $1300 husky box I just bought feels much like the used KRLs that I looked at. No I probably can't park a dump truck on it, but I doubt I ever would have if I had the KRL, either.

 

[Burt Shaver]

I suspect the original post was a troll. Who can't tell cheap from quality?

No, no troll. Just never had one of the good ones. Next time I see one I will check it out

 

[Squankum]

I suspect the original post was a troll. Who can't tell cheap from quality?

Not everybody's had a chance to touch quality!